I am still in a period of low photographic production. After several rolls of film and dozens of digital images, I had nothing of importance that I found visually interesting. I was so disappointed that I discarded several months of work and decided to start anew. When in a period of non-creativity, the best remedy is to keep taking photos in the hope that something visually creative will surface. My most recent photo session did result in a couple of images that I am enthusiastic about. At first, I thought the images were not that good and should be trashed but as I looked closer, I became more encouraged and felt that I had something to work with.
When I processed one of the digital images, I ended up with something I didn’t expect. When I saw the final print, the first thing I thought of was the artist Lucian Freud. I immediately retrieved the book Lucian Freud Paintings from my library and noticed some similarities (texture, simple background, an older model) between my print and his paintings.
I use both photographers and painters as a source for inspiration. A few of my favorite photographers include Wynn Bullock, Bill Brandt and Manuel Alvarez Bravo. Painters are Lucian Freud, Balthus and Philip Pearlstein. I did print another very different image from this session that I liked and it was inspired by the painter Alex Katz.
After a fallow period of no acceptable images, I did find a little creative spark which I hope will ignite into a highly productive period of creativity.
If you are in a slump don’t give up, be persistent and keep working. Study the work of other photographers and painters for creative inspiration.
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Sleeping Mind Photography 